They Took The Sky From Us
by VampedVixen
Summary: River and Simon deal with a sudden explosion.


Title: They Took The Sky From Us  
Author: Vixen  
Characters: Simon & River mostly  
Disclaimer: Joss owns everything.. and my soul!  
Rating: PG.  
Notes: A bit of writing therapy and my first Firefly fanfic that's not a crossover with Buffy. heh.

* * *

Luck.

That was important. It was what brought the crew together in the first place, what kept them going, what kept the feds off their trail, and in those quickening seconds, luck was what kept them alive. The blast happened so quickly, there was no sound as the ship exploded into a million particles of what was once their home.

Only Kaylee remained standing as the others ducked for shelter. Her eyes were wide, but her voice so quiet her words remained lost amongst the whispered wind of the aftershock. Mal grabbed the stunned girl's arm, yanking her down behind the small ditch the rest were hiding behind. She shuddered, shaking as the truth set in. Her voice cracked around one word, "Serenity.."

* * *

Some while later, the crew found themselves sitting amidst the debris, planning their next move. "Nearest town's that way," Mal pointed firmly, though even he was still a little unsteady from the course of events, "but the feds are on to us. Probably the ones sent us that little package. Another town's that ways.."

Simon let his attention wander as Mal began to give directions on which town would yield safer results. Instead, he watched as Kaylee sat cross-legged, starring at the two charred metal pieces in her hands. Whether they had once fit together was unascertainable, considering the shape each had taken once they reached their melting points. No amount of repair could ever sew the firefly back together and Kaylee knew this. Her baby was lost, and without it so was she.

"Best we get walkin'. Sun goes down in three hours and it gets mighty chilly out here in the mountains at night." Mal gave the order and the rest followed, not daring to get a word in. He was their captain and right then they all needed someone to lead them.

As Kaylee stood up, letting the two metal pieces drop out of her hands, she shivered. Wrapping her arms around her, she walked past Simon, oblivious to anyone's presence but her own. He wanted to reach out to her, hold her and tell her things would be okay, but just before he could he saw River turn heel and run into the dense forest that surrounded the clearing.

"Not now," He sighed, completely drained but nevertheless took off running after his sister, but not before letting Mal know where he was headed. They agreed to meet up in town and then Simon was off, trailing behind River by a few yards. He wondered momentarily what they had taught her in those movement classes at the academy and just how much of her physical skill had been programmed into her.

He stopped, suddenly unsure of where she had gone. "Come on, River," Simon pushed back his hair, breathing heavily, "Please come out, I can't chase you all day." Picking a direction, he just started moving with the hope that he was going the right way. "We have to get back to the road, and then to the town, and then.. I'm not sure where we're going after that, actually."

He frowned, feeling all the more like he was talking to himself. In his dismay, Simon almost tripped over a fallen tree, the truck lying across the natural pathway. Peering down at the ground in front of the tree trunk, Simon saw his sister. She lay on her back, completely still, with her eyes shut and her hair entwined with the dark orange leaves scattered on the ground.

He took a cautious step forward, stepping over the log and her brown eyes shot open. Starring up at the sky, River spoke, "They took the sky from us." Her hands jerked up erratically, pulling imaginary pieces of something apart as she yelled, "Scattered bits of flesh. Scattered bits of tendon and bone."

Simon knelt beside his sister, pulling her up and towards him. "It's okay. We're going to get back into town and the captain will get us a ship and.. we'll figure something out." He smoothed her hair down, "I promise."

She jerked away, standing and starring down at him. "You'll leave. Nuts and bolts. I hear you at night. No room for girls in boxes, woken up before it's too soon. No time for nothing but nuts and bolts, interlocking parts." As she made a circle for the bolt with the thumb and forefinger of one hand, and pantomimed the screw going in and out of it with her other forefinger, River continued, "Nothing but Kayle–"

Simon jumped up, suddenly all too aware of what she was metaphorically speaking about. "Oh, Wuh de tyen, ah!" He grabbed her hands, stopping her show while a deep blush came over his features. He had thought Kaylee and him kept their private moments private enough, but here his sister was illustrating something she should not have known about at such a young age. Not that she was exactly young, but she was still his little sister after all. "Geez, don't do that, River."

She pulled away from him, "Liar. Man in love and the world turns to lies." Taking a step away, River said, "Home flew away to where I can't follow. And you will, but with her. The others won't wait either.. No space for the girl who woke up too soon."

"Mei mei," Simon came closer as she paced in small back and forth lines. Holding out an arm, he rested it on her shoulder and stopped her anxious motion, "I'm not going to abandon you. I could never do that."

"But they did!" She cried and the sound of her voice awakened a nest of birds in the trees above. Her face screwed up in hot tears as River shook, "They let them take me, they knew didn't they? They let the blue hands poke and prick, and they left me there. And if they did, then you will and I need you, Simon. I need you to keep me safe."

She fell into his arms as Simon squeezed her in close. They'd both been abandoned by their parents. He had been slowly dealing with his own feelings regarding that betrayal, but without even realizing that River might understand what their mother and father had done to them too.

"Oh, mei mei." He shushed her like a child, holding her tight, "I'm not like them. Dong ma? I fought to get you back and I'm going to fight to keep you with me. I love Kaylee very much, but you're my sister, you're my family." He paused, "And I will never leave you."

River slowly stopped crying but still clung to him as she asked, "What about the others?"

"If I know them as well as I think, they won't be able to leave without you either. You tend to keep things interesting, and whether they admit it or not, they like interesting." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they started walking out from under the thick trees and in the general direction of town. He looked down at her as she leaned against him, "So.. we'll get a ship, Mei mei. We'll get another ship, and we'll keep flying."

THE END.


End file.
